Lets not forget that 'if ' this all goes pear shaped, and it does go military hot, Russia, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and North Korea will quickly jump on the band wagon in support of the PRC. India could be a direct casualty also. The whole thing could get very bloody messy.
Unfortunately the west created today's China, it gave China the financial ( 100's of billions $ spent on military upgrades $$$ over the last decade alone ) means to rapidly modernise its military capability/capacity, not surprising to me that it is now exercising an expansion phase in its own backyard and beyond. Lets not forget that it has naval bases in South Africa also.
Hindsight is a wonderful thing, but I reckon the world would be a lot less tense right now had ' The West ' invested as heavily as it did with China, in places like Mexico and South America, instead.
The USA needs to wade through this present situation, very carefully.....